Torpedo-guard.



LLEvY.

TORPEDO GUARD. APPLICATION FILED D'Iac. 5, 191e.

l ,@0, 1 52 l Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. LEVY.

TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED ofc. s. 191s.

Patented Sept. 1l, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ll'to: News injury thereto.

Vations of 'aship' or the` like (sgravi. m

entree anvar, er noteren rane, MARYLAND."

mandes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, dentes Levi?, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roland Park, in the connty oi Baltimore and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and usenl .improvements in rEoipedo-Gards, of which the following is a speciiif cation.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devicesfor protecting vessels at sea from being struck by marine torpedoes andthe like9 and it has for its object the provision of simple andeffective means for stopping a torpedo at a suiicient distance from thevessel to prevent- More specically the invention contemplatestheprovision oa series of screens or shields normally carried by thesides of the vessel iust above the Water line, so as not to retard thevessel, and havingmeans whereby they can be quickly lowered into 'aposition to protect the vessel from torpedoes or mines; The inventionalso includes improved locking means 'ier nodding the shields rigidly inposition and for preventing them from yielding` nnderthe influence ofthe impactof a torpedo.

ln order that the invention may be readily understood reference is had'to the accompanying drawings forming part oi this speciiication. and inWhiclrd Figures liand are conventional side ele showing my improvedtorpedo "goards applied thereto and illustrating. such guards in raisedand lowered positions respectively.

Fig. 3 is transverse section on en es larged scale showing; the on ones' 1e of the ship in operative position and t at on the other side ofthe ship as folded int normal or inoperative position.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary details showing my improvedholding or locking mechanism.

Fig. 6 isa perspective View showing one ot the folding frames iorsupporting' the screens; f

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the adI ditional matinal locking;means which "i may employ: and,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side velevation showing a' modifiedconstruction.

Referring to the drawings in .detail 1 designates the huil of a. sbin orother vessel. Along the sides oi auch .heli il provide Specication ciLetters Eatent.

Patented sept. i1, 1er 7.

.enlication filed Iecember 5, i916. Serial No. 135,141.; l. Y l i a.series of pairs oflyertically eitending tracks 2 having slots orguideways 3 there-r` in, as clearly shown in Figs.

illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 four pairs ,ofV

such tracks are shown on-eachside `of the ship, each pair serving tosupport a sep. arate screen or guard'. f

Each of these guards embodies a folding-f trarne comprising' av pair of.arms' 6 pivoted 5, such bracketsl being rigidly secured to the sides ofthe ship just above the Water line.

Pivoted between the outer-.ends of the arms 6 is a rectangular framecomprising adapted to slide on the Ways or tracks The pivot pinv 12connecting each brace 1`0 4 and 5., As

I at their ends to bracketed, as indicated at aty a lpoint ,preferablyr`ith its block il travelsin the slot 3 of the trash' or guide.

Formed in each block 11 is a slot, 13

through which the pivot pin 12also passes, such slot beine* disposed at'an' angle tothe slot 3. as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and it will be seenthat the braces 10 are dis.

posed inside of thearmsG and that when the inner ends of such braces areraised` the frame formed of the members 7. 8,.' and 9 Will-,1y

swing upwardly against the under side. of the arms 6. and that thereuponsuch arms. together With the trame. Vwill swing` upwardly into vertical'posit-ion. as shown at the 4ieit of Fig. 3.

ln order to hoist the frames into such folded or inoperative position.preferably provide cables 14 attached `to the blocks il and passingupwardly over bulleys 15. suitably mounted above the deck of the shin.The cables 14 are Wound upon drums i6. a separate drum beinel preferably4 provided for eachy pair of cables. as clearly shown in Figs. '1 and 2.Each ,drum 16.is suitably mounted in pedestals 17,l resting upon thedeck 18. or otherfsuitable partof the ship, and may be provided Withgacrank i9, by means o'fswhich it can be., turned. instead of the cranks,the drums mayberotated to hoist thescreensl by .power operated means, inthis case, the drums will pref,

erably be all connected by a common shaft 16", as shown in Fig. 8, andon this shaft may be secured a sprocket wheel 29, connected by asprocket chain 30 with an electric or other suitable motor 31, asillustrated at the-right of. Fig. 3. Unwinding of the drums 16 in eithercase is prevented by means of a ratchet wheel 20 rigidly secured to thedrumv and adapted to be engaged by a pawl 21. AThis pawl is held in4engagement with the ratchet wheel by means of a spring 22, the tail 23of which bears against the pawl, as shown in Fig. 3. For releasing thepawl, a lever 23n is provided, having a lug 24 so related to the spring22 that when the lever 23aL is moved upwardly about its pivot, the lug24 will engage the curved portion of the spring 22 in such al way as tocause the .tail 23 to bear against the heel of the pawl and swing it outof engagement with the ratchet. Other suitable pawl and ratchetmechanism may. of course. be substituted without departing from the mainfeatures of the invention.

A screen, preferably composed of chain mesh, is secured to each frame,as indicated at 13B. This screen is of suiicient strength to resist theimpact of `a torpedo and will probably cause the explosion thereof at asafe distance from the side of the ship.

A similar screen 13b is also secured to the 'brace rods 10, as shown inFig. 3, thus affording double protection to the ship.

Normally, folded as shown at the left of Fig. 3, but when passingthrough a danger zone the screens may all be lowered into operative po'-sition; as shown in Fig. 2, or at the right of Fig. 3.

It will, of course, be understood that for the purposes of illustration,the spaces between the screens in Figs. 1 and 2 are shown l relativelymuch larger than case in actual practice.

l Referring again to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that when hoistingthe blocks 11 by means of the cables 14, the pivot pin 12 rests in thebottom of the slot 13 and travels freely up the slot 3, as shown in Fig.4. -When, however, a thrust is applied to the outer ends of the vbraces10, such for example as would be caused by the impact of a torpedo withthe screen, the pin 12 is driven upward in the slot 13, as clearly shownin Fig. 5, a-nd caused to jam' or wedge therein,

would be the .thus preventing the block 11 from rising and securelyholding the screen against movement. From the foregoing, it is apparentthat I have provided means operated by the impact of a torpedo forholding or locking the screen 'against movement.

Additional ymanually operated locking means may be provided, if desired,and such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 7. This the screens or guardswill be 1 locking means consists of a vertical shaft 2 5, extending downalong the side of the ship and journaled in suitable brackets 26. The

shaft is provided at its upper end with an operating crank 27,accessible from the deck or other suitable part of the vessel, andcarries at its lower end a locking segment 26, adapted to be rocked intoposition to overhang the top of the block 11. After a screen has beenlowered, therefore, the shafts 25 may be rotated and the blocks 1lpositively locked in position, as 'shown.

It will, of course, be understood that when it is desired to lower anyparticular screen it is only necessary to raise the lever 23, associatedwith the corresponding drum. This disengages the pawl and permits thescreen to drop by gravitylinto operative position.

What I claim is:

1. in a device of the class described, the combination with a vessel, ofa folding frame carried by the side thereof, a net or screen secured tosaid frame, pivoted braces for holding said screen in operativeposition, mea-ns for hoisting the upper ends of said braces and thusfolding said frame when desired, and means whereby a thrust against saidscreen serves to hold said braces against such movement.

2. In a device ofthe class described, the combination with a vessel, ofa pair of arms pivoted to the side thereof, a screen carried by theouter ends of said arms, pivoted braces extending from the lower edge ofsaid screen to-the side of said vessel to hold the screen againstmovement, and means for shifting said arms and braces about their pivotsinto folded position against the side of the vessel and thus raising thescreen above the water line.

combinatiqn with a vessel, of a pair of vertical guideways carried bythe side thereof, blocks working on said guideways, braceI memberssecured to said blocks, a frame to which said brace members arevsupporting said frame, and plvoted to the side of the vessel, and meansfor raising an'd lowering` said blocks to shift said frame.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with avessel, ofarms pivoted thereto, a frame and screen carried by said arms, bracemembers secured to said frame, blocks to which said brace members areconnected, guideways on which said blocks slide, each of said guidewayshaving a slot, each of said blocks also having a slot crossing the rstmentioned slot at an angle, and a pin secured to each brace rod and pasing through both of'said slots, whereby a t rust along said bracemembers will causey said pins to bind in said slots, and preventmovement of said blocks.

5. In adevice of pivoted, arms vessel, and a guard carried` thereby, ofa vertically sliding memberframe carried by the side thereof, alnet orscreen secured to said frame, braces extending from the lower edge ofsaid frame to er said guard has the side of the vessel to hold saidframe in operative position, and a second net or screen secured to saidbraces.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LEVY.

'Witnessesz v CsRomNs Rpsnns,

JN0. WA'rsoN, Jr.

copian o! this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by addi-emu:the commissioner of Patents.

, Washington, D. 0.

